Garment hanger and shaper



Oct. 4, 1955 M. L. J. CROMARTIE GARMENT HANGER AND SHAPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 7, 1955 Mary Lee J. Gromarfie INVENTOR.

Oct. 4, 1955 M. L J. CROMARTIE GARMENT HANGER AND SHAPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 7, 1955 .e m a m m C J. L m M m Ms W.

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United States Patent GARMENT HANGER AND SHAPER Mary Lee J. Cromartie, Statesboro, Ga. Application January 7, 1955, Serial No. 480,345

3 Claims. (Cl. 223-68) This invention generally relates to a garment hanger, and more specifically provides an improved and novel device for supporting garments and retaining such garments in a desired shape whereby such garments will be retained in a neat and attractive manner.

In hanging garments along a garment rack or on a suitable support, adjacent garments tend to crush each other wherein the garments will be flattened and wrinkled, thereby causing unnecessary and undesirable wrinkles and creases in such garments. This is especially true of garments of the type having full or billowed portions, such as the skirt portions of dresses. condition is prevalent where such garments are stored along a horizontally disposed rack so that the garments may be viewed by prospective customers, such as would occur in a dress shop or the like. While such dresses would normally become unwrinkled after hanging free for a while, the problem is especially critical in small childrens clothes wherein the skirt portion may be substantially bell-shaped and various ruflles and gathers may be provided in the sleeves as well as in the skirts. This type of garment is especially susceptible to wrinkling and other detrimental effects caused by the positioning of such garments in close juxtaposition whereby the garments will be substantially flattened and crushed. It is well known that garments that are neat and attractive in their display racks will ordinarily entice a prospective customer to make a purchase. Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a garment hanger including certain shaping characteristics that will retain the garments in their most attractive shape and yet permit easy support of such garments.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a garment hanger and shaper including a main body portion generally conforming to the silhouette of the garment to be supported together with a bell-shaped lower or skirt portion and resilient rings for engaging the sleeves whereby all portion of a garment may be retained in the most attractive condition.

Yet another important object of the present invention is to provide a garment hanger and shaper constructed of suitable lightweight flexible mesh material that is provided with a reinforcing boning or the like for retaining the shape of the garment.

Still another important feature of the present invention is to provide a garment hanger and shaper that is simple in construction, easy to utilize, retains the garments in neat and attractive condition, well adapted for its intended purposes and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully thereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Also, this I Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the garment hanger and shaper of the present invention in use on a small childs dress wherein the dress is retained in the desired condition;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view with a portion of the hem being broken away showing the silhouette of the shape of the garment hanger of the present invention wherein the garment will be substantially shaped;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 3--3 of Figure 2 showing the details of construction of the garment hanger and shaper of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a top plan sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 4-4 of Figure 2 showing further structural details of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 5-5 of Figure 2 showing the details of construction of one of the resilient loops for positioning in the sleeve of the garment;

Figure 6 is a detail, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane pasing along section line 66 of Figure 2, showing the details of construction of the upper end of the present invention and illustrating the positioning of the supporting hanger in the loop provided therefor; and

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 7-7 of Figure 2 showing further structural details of the upper portion of the garment hanger and shaper of the present invention.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, it will be seen that the numeral 10 generally designates the garment hanger and shaper of the present invention and the device is illustrated for use in supporting and shaping a small childs dress generally designated by the numeral 12 and including an upper body portion 14 and a lower body portion 16 that generally forms a skirt portion. The upper body portion 14 generally forms a blouse portion and includes a neck opening 18 and sleeves 20. The dress 12 is provided with various ruffles and gathers normally appearing in such garments, and the skirt portion 16 is generally bell-shaped thereby forming an attractive dress.

Referring now specifically to Figure 2, it will be seen that the garment hanger and shaper 10 generally includes an upper body portion 22 and a lower body portion 24 each of which is constructed of mesh material that is flexible for changing the shapes thereof. The upper body portion 22 is secured to the lower body portion 24 by a waist portion 26 and a line of horizontal stitching 28 forming a seam. The lower end of the lower body portion 24 is provided with a hem portion 30 formed by vertically spaced horizontal seams 32 thereby forming a loop for receiving a reinforcing ring or boning 34 which is secured to the hem portion 30 by a seam 36, thereby retaining the lower end of the lower body portion 24 in extended position, thereby forming a full skirt portion that is substantially bell-shaped, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.

The upper body portion 22 is formed of a double thickness of material that is flattened out and secured together at the side edges by a peripheral line of stitching or seam 38. Centrally and vertically on the upper body portion 22 is secured a loop of fabric material 40 which extends vertically in the center of the upper body portion 22 and is secured thereto by stitching 42. Positioned within the vertical loop 40 is an elongated piece of boning or reinforcing 44 secured to the loop 40 by a line of stitching 46. Also, the upper central portion of the upper body portion 22 is provided with a generally flattened V-shaped opening 48 that is formed by folding flaps of material 50 inwardly, thereby forming an opening for receiving a hanger or supporting member 52 having a hook 54 on the upper end thereof and terminating in a transversely extending member 56 at the lower end, wherein the transversely extending member 66 generally curves downwardly for reception in oppositely disposed loops 58 formed by the upper edge of the double thickness of material forming the upper body portion 22 and the line of stitching 33, whereby the hanger 52 will be positioned within the upper end of the garment hanger and shaper of the present invention.

Attached to opposite edges of the upper body portion 22 is a securing strap '60 being attached to a flexible resilient ring generally designated by the numeral 62 and and including a pair of fabric members 64 secured together at opposite edges by stitching 66 and receiving a reinforcing annular boning member 68 therein that is secured thereto by stitching '70 wherein the ring :62 is adapted to be positioned within the sleeves 20 of the garment 12.

In practical use of the device, the garment hanger and support 10 with the hanger 52 attached thereto is positioned within the garment 12 and the rings 62 are positioned within the sleeves 20 wherein the garment 12 will be retained in extended and neat condition. The various elements of the present invention may be constructed of any suitable material, although they should be washable and relatively inexpensive so that the garment hangers of the present invent-ion may be reused and washed as often as desired. Further, the hangers 52 may be of any suitable construction, but preferably of plastic construction as are the boning reinforcing members 34 and 44. Also, it will be understood that the sleeve rings 62 may be omitted for utility with certain types of garments and the particular length of the securing strap 16 may be changed as desired for retaining long sleeved garments in anextended position. The boning 34 may be placed in a hem or loop as illustrated or merely stitched to either surface of the lower body portion. This also is true of the other reinforcing or boning members.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A hanger and shaper for a dress type garment comprising an upper body portion, a lower body portion attached to said upper body portion, said lower body portion being generally bell-shaped for shaping the skirt portion of a dress, said upper portion being generally flat for shaping the blouse portion of a dress, means for supporting said hanger and shaper from a support, said body portions being constructed of semi-rigid mesh material whereby said body portions may be shaped, and resilient loops movably attached to the outer edges of said upper body portion for transverse positioning in the sleeves of a dress.

2. A hanger and shaper for a dress 'type garment comprising an upper body portion, a lower body portion attached to said upper body portion, said lower body portion being generally bell-shaped for shaping the skirt portion of a dress, said upper portion being generally flat for shaping the blouse portion of a dress, means for supporting said hanger and shaper from a support, said body portions being constructed of semi-rigid mesh material whereby said body portions may be shaped, and resilient loops movabl-y'attached to the outer edges of said upper body portion for transverse positioning in the sleeves of a dress, said body portions being constructed with resilient plastic reinforcing members for retaining the shape thereof.

' 3. A device for shaping a dress type garment comprising an upper body portion, a lower body portion attached to said upper body portion, said lower body portion being generally bell shaped for shaping the skirt portion of a dress, said upper body portion being generally flat and provided with outwardly and upwardly flared side edges for shaping the blouse portion of a dress, said upper and lower body portions being constructed of semi-rigid mesh material for permitting the body portions to be shaped, said lower body portion terminating in a lower edge with a hem portion, a reinforcing member disposed in said hem portion, said upper body portion being constructed of double thickness of mesh material, the central upper edge of the upper body portion having a downwardly extending notch, -a transverse member disposed between the thicknesses of material and bridging said notch, and a hook member attached to said transverse member for supporting said body portions, said upper body portion having a vertically disposed reinforcing member extending downwardly from the lower end of said notch.

"References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Udvardy May 26, 1953 

